The latest issue of The Harris Poll finds that President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld all continue to enjoy the confidence of the overwhelming majority of the public. Their latest ratings are:
-- President Bush: 86% positive, 12% negative (compared to 88% - 11% in mid-October)
-- Vice President Dick Cheney: 66% positive, 20% negative (compared to 69% - 20% in mid-October)
-- Secretary of State Colin Powell: 83% positive, 12% negative (compared to 88% - 8% in mid-October)
-- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: 78% positive, 15% negative (compared to 78% - 12 % in mid-October).
While these ratings have eroded slightly, these numbers are extraordinarily high -- still "in the stratosphere."
This Harris Interactive survey, conducted by telephone with a nationwide sample of 1,011 adults between November 14-20, 2001, shows however that there has been some erosion in ratings of other politicians and parties, each of whom enjoyed remarkably high ratings in October.
The Democrats in Congress, whose ratings jumped from 42% positive, 48% negative in August to 68% - 24% in October, have slipped back to 58% positive, 30% negative.
The Republicans in Congress whose ratings leaped up from 37% positive, 52% negative in August to 67% - 24% in October, have slipped to 60% positive, 28% negative, marginally ahead of the Democrats.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert's ratings are now 42% positive, 20% negative, far better than his 27% - 29% ratings in August, but down from 52% positive, 16% negative in October.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's numbers follow a similar pattern, up from 29% positive, 34% negative in August to 60% positive, 17% negative in October and now down somewhat to 55% positive, 23% negative.